Think Crafts Blog - Craft Ideas and Projects - CreateForLess

TGIF! Celebrate Friday by entering to win! Enter to win this Amber Bracelet Kit by Janlynn. Create the look of a high-priced collectible bracelet, for only a fraction of the cost! These designer inspired beads will fit on any charm bracelet, and you can arrange the beads anyway you like! The EZ-Bead clasp lets you change the beads at any time, with no tools necessary. Kit includes 7 handmade glass beads, 8 lead-free/nickel-free metal beads, 7.5″ bracelet featuring EZ-Bead clasp and one jewelry pouch.

Every Friday we’re posting a giveaway on Think Crafts. All you have to do to enter is comment on the blog post answering the question of the week. We’ll pick the winners and contact them via email. One entry per person please.

Question of the Week: It’s almost Valentine’s day, so tell us about your first Valentine!

If the comment box is not below, scroll to the top and click “comments”.

One of my 2009 resolutions (or goals as I like to call ‘em!) was to finish at least one craft project BEFORE I started a new one.  I know I can’t be alone in the fact that I’ve always got at least a half a dozen projects going on at a time.

I’m not sure why I end up with a few unfinished projects.  Maybe I get bored or sidetracked or couldn’t find the unfinished bracelet under all the books I have piled on my worktable.  No matter the reason, I wanted to get some of my projects done!  To motivate myself I decided that I’d use my finished projects as Easter basket goodies this year.  If I didn’t get the projects done I would make the poor ole Easter bunny look like the Grinch!  It may not seem like motivation, but you haven’t met the family and friends who show up every year to hunt baskets.  They are serious goodie basket reviewers and I have to stay on my toes!

Well, I’m ready to share some of the projects I got done.  Scratch a few items off my To Do list!

These two bracelets were made using a metal cuff finding. I used thin wire to wrap, thread beads, then wrap until the entire cuff frame was done. On the second one I added some fish beads I had.

I made matching earrings for the cuff bracelets. I'm into dangles right now and love adding the effect to earrings.

I finally used these pieces I'd fused months ago!

I Love this book!

100 Beaded Jewelry Designs by Stephanie Burnham

This book is perfect for the beginner and the more advanced jewelry crafter.  The instructions are excellent and you get a lot of photographs.  The book also includes color illustrations to help with the beading.  The designers used very modern and stylish looks for the jewelry included in the book.  You’ll enjoy making the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sets. Techniques include peyote, ladder, brick, netting, square, herringbone, and right angle stitches with some great edging. I highly recommend this book because there isn’t a piece of jewelry in it that I don’t want to make! 

My favorite project was the Layered Spiral Necklace as seen below.

Would You Like To Win This Book? 

Be the first person to e-mail me at Maria@thinkcrafts.com and this book will be yours.  Make sure you put the name of the book you want to win in the subject line of your e-mail to me. I will reply back to the first e-mailer requesting a mailing address.  Please don’t post any personal information on Think Crafts!

This contest is closed, the winner has been shipped the book.

CreateForLess is having a great drawing and all you have to do is submit your very own Dear Santa letter!  The Dear Santa Sweepstakes ends 12/15 so get your entry in today! The winner gets a $100 CreateForLess gift certificate. I thought I’d share my wish list letter with you:

Dear Santa,

It’s been a whole year since I last wrote, but I’ve been quite busy crafting away for myself, family, and friends so I know you’ll forgive me for being out of touch.  I’ve been very good sharing my joy of crafting with everyone I meet and I’ve kept you, Mrs. Claus, and all the elves in my thoughts and prayers.  I’d really appreciate a few little creative goodies under the tree and in my stocking this year.  Here’s the list:

• EK Sticko Stickers Sea Animals for my dive log (I love adding embellishments to it!)
• Any of the great American Crafts cardstock would be appreciated, I love the new colors.
• Bo Bunny Album Clearly Mixed Up Serendipity, it’s so cute!
• Blue Moon Charm Lost & Found Metal Ocean Assortment for a bracelet I’m designing.
• The Clover Puff Quilting Clip Set, any size will do, or maybe you’ll bring the whole set of them?
• AlterKnits Felt Book filled with great projects to knit and felt!
• And last but not least an Ott-Lite TrueColor Lamp since my eyes aren’t as sharp as they used to be!

I hope I didn’t ask for too much, but this is a wish list after all and I’m always wishing for more craft supplies!  Take care and drive safe, Santa!

Maria

P.S. I’m leaving a little something for you under the tree!

Air dry clay is often thought of as a child’s art and craft supply, but it’s so much more than that!  If you enjoy polymer clay, you’ll also enjoy paper clay.  You don’t have to bake this type of clay as it air dries. 

Materials

• Paper clay (also called air-dry clay):  This clay air-dries, no need to heat or bake.
• Rolling pin:  To evenly flatten clay if necessary for your project.
• Wax or freezer paper
• Rubberstamps, clay tools, molds or texture sheets:  To make patterns or images into the clay.
• Craft knife, NuBlade^TM, tissue blade (or other thin cutting tool).

Step by Step

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and make sure your work surface is clean.  Clay picks up every dust or particle on the work surface and your hands.

2. Roll clay out to about ¼” thickness or thickness desired.  Stamp an image into the clay with a rubberstamp or press clay into any type of mold and remove.  Trim with cutting tool if needed.  You can also hand form or sculpt the clay.

3. Place on wax paper to dry, turning every few hours for even drying.  To avoid curling you might want to weigh down the clay after a few hours of drying.

4. You can also use this clay to sculpt.  It easily can be colored, painted, inked, chalked, glittered, and otherwise embellished. 

Using an air dry clay, Helen Bradley created this watch for Jewlery Creations #2 Magazine (CK Media) using a clay from AMACO.

Tips

• Clay adheres to most surfaces with a dab or two of glue.
• You can cut this clay while still wet or when it has dried. 
• Use a wet fingertip to smooth rough edges while clay is still wet.
• Use a fine sanding paper or emery board to smooth clay edges once clay has dried.
• You can paint, ink, or chalk a dry piece of paper clay.
• You can add paint, ink, or chalk to wet clay to color it!
• Make an embellishment for the front of a scrapbook, diary or journal.
• Another wonderful way to use your rubberstamps.  You can make buttons to coordinate your designs and projects.
• Store unused clay in an airtight container like a zip-lock plastic bag.  You can’t add water to clay to restore, once it dries out, it’s not re-useable!
• There are wonderful cutting, shaping, and design tools on the market for clays, but don’t forget that toothpicks, paper clips, cookie cutters, and pencils are handy tools too.

I found some great sites with fun projects:

Colorful Fun

Earthy Heart Pendant

Upscale Designer

Another wonderful design by Helen Bradley for AMACO. This design was also published in Jewelry Creations #2, CK Media.

I must have a ton of beads!  I’m hopelessly addicted to beads.  I buy for color; I love orange.  I buy for shape; I love tablet, oval, and round.  I buy for motif; I love fish, sealife, and flowers.  I have small beads like seed and E beads.  I have medium beads of shell, ceramic, and glass.  And I have large beads of clay, crystal, and wood.  And with so many beads, it’s easy to forget exactly what I have.

I recently just re-organized my beads because I couldn’t remember everything I had.  Because if you have beads, you most likely have all the supplies needed to make jewelry, meaning you need to keep up with all your findings!  For me the real key to organization is that the organizers need to be clear, I need to be able to see at a glance what is in my organizers!

Organization can be a bore, but somehow I’m never bored when organizing my beads.  I enjoy seeing all my treasures, touching each to feel the texture, and coordinating the colors.  I get happy all over again and think about all the jewelry I can make.  I organize first by type of bead, which usually boils down to size. And then I organize by color or metal.  It’s important that you follow your way of thinking when you organize.  If your first thought is color, then organize by color. If your first thought is that’s a glass bead, organize by material used to make the beads.

 I love the above organizer!  I like the sturdy, permanant compartments and that it shuts very securely. I’ve used organizers with adjustable compartments, but most aren’t stable so your beads end up mixing.  Adjustable organizers are better for larger items or maybe threads.

I have tons of seed beads and hated having to store them in original packages, it just made organization difficult so I was happy to find this type of organizer so I can store my seed beads by color and easily find the color I need!

How do you organize your craft supplies?  Come on!  Share!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I’ve been very lucky in my career in crafts to have opportunities I never even dreamed possible.  I’ve sold my original crafts to the public, sold designs for publication in magazines, written books, and even developed a few product lines!  One of the most rewarding jobs is when I’m asked to be an editor.  I was the original editor of Stamp It!, a magazine for rubberstampers and card makers.  And recently I was asked to be the Editor of Jewelry Creations, a magazine filled with wonderful jewelry projects. 

It’s amazing to start with an idea, gather projects, edit the project instructions, be a part of the photography shoot, and do some final edits before the magazine is sent off to the printer for publication.  When I was asked to be a part of this great jewelry magazine issue, I turned to my friends at CreateForLess.com for some jewelry submissions and got some fabulous ones!  Jewelry Creations is now available where you buy your favorite craft magazines. 

I’m doing a little bragging because I wanted to share my joy and I also wanted other creative people to know that if you want a career or a part time income from your art and crafts- anything really is possible.  I have no formal training in putting together a magazine.  I just took every opportunity to learn new aspects of my love of crafting and worked hard to earn a reputation of being reliable.  I learned (and continue to learn) all I can about the craft industry.  When I first started the reference librarian at my local library was my best friend helping me find trade organizations, today much of that same information is now available online!  I believe it is possible to have a job you love and earn a good living from your creativity.

Here’s a peek at the cover!